PROMOTING DIVERSITY
OF CULTURAL EXPRESSION IN ARTS IN AUSTRALIA
A case study report
DIVERSITY OF CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS
Published under Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-NonDerivative Works 2.5 License Any distribution must include the following attribution:
P.Mar & I.Ang (2015) Promoting Diversity of Cultural Expressions in Arts in Australia, Sydney, Australia Council for the Arts.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr Phillip Mar
Phillip Mar is an anthropologist by training, with research interests in migration, political emotions, contemporary art and cultural policy. Since 2008, Phillip Mar has been a researcher at the Centre for Cultural Research / Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University.
Distinguished Professor Ien Ang
Ien Ang is a Distinguished Professor of Cultural Studies at the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at Western
Sydney University. She is one of the leaders in cultural studies worldwide, with interdisciplinary work spanning many areas
of the humanities and social sciences, focusing broadly on the processes and impacts of cultural flow and exchange in the globalised world. Her books, including Watching Dallas, Desperately Seeking the Audience and On Not Speaking Chinese, are recognised as classics in the field and her work has been translated into many languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Turkish, German, Korean and Spanish. Her most recent book, co-edited with E. Lally and K. Anderson, is The Art of Engagement: Culture, Collaboration, Innovation (2011). She is also the co-author (with Y. Tambiah and P. Mar) of Smart Engagement with Asia: Leveraging Language,
Research and Culture, a report for the Australian Council of Learned Academies, (2015).
DIVERSITY OF CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS
PREFACE
This report is an outcome of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Australia Council and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNSECO) Bangkok to promote cultural diversity in the Asia-Pacific, signed in 2012. The report aims to contribute to understanding and debate of the implications of UNESCO’s 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion
of the Diversity of Cultural Expression, to which Australia became a signatory in 2009.
The selection of projects featured in this report was conducted jointly by representatives of the Australia Council, UNESCO Bangkok and the researchers from the Institute for Culture and Society. Projects were selected on the basis of their suitability for a ‘best practice’ case study report on the interpretation and implementation of the UNESCO Convention with a national and international readership. In-depth interviews were conducted in order to gain an understanding of multiple stakeholder perspectives on the processes and practices in question. Ethnographic material has been supported by analysis of available project documentation, other public documentation and critical writing.
Since the research was conducted, many of these projects have evolved considerably. However, the detailed case studies still provide relevant material for discussion and insight on the wide range
of practical possibilities to promote diversity of cultural expressions through the arts. The introduction of the report presents five key principles to advance critical discourse in this field.
Signed
Dr Phillip Mar
Institute for Culture and Society Western Sydney University
Lydia Miller Executive Director,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Australia Council for the Arts
Date 24th September 2015
Distinguished Professor Ien Ang Institute for Culture and Society Western Sydney University
Dr Tim Curtis
Chief of the Culture Unit UNESCO Bangkok
A CASE STUDY REPORT
CONTENTS
Diversity of Cultural Expressions1
About the authors1
Introduction5
Case study summaries17
Case studies25
Visible25
Arab Film Festival Australia36
Edge of Elsewhere48
Metaverse Makeovers64
TransLab75
Association of Northern Kimberley
and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA)87
Kultour104
black&write!117
Appendix A: Interview list129
INTRODUCTION
The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was adopted by UNESCO in 2005. This Convention is a legally binding international agreement that ensures artists, cultural professionals, practitioners and citizens worldwide can create, produce, disseminate and enjoy a broad range of cultural goods, services and activities, including their own.
The Convention authorises ‘diversity’ as a key leitmotiv for cultural policy in the 21st century. In today’s interconnected, globalised world cultural diversity is no longer the peripheral to an otherwise mono-cultural centre, but a
central dimension of the entire domain of culture and society. Diversity should be seen as an asset, not a liability, for both individuals and societies. Cultural diversity is now seen as an essential requirement of sustainable development, because a world where diversity flourishes increases the range of choices for people and communities, thus nurturing their capacities
for creativity and innovation. Moreover, promoting and protecting diversity is essential for world peace, as it boosts the potential for creative dialogues resulting from interactions
of diverse cultures, both nationally and globally.
Australia became a signatory to this Convention in 2009. Signatories to the Convention take on the ‘right and obligation’ to develop policies and adopt measures to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions within
their territory. In this regard, the Australia Council for the Arts can play a leading role, not just in implementing the Convention in the
Australian context, but also in advancing critical reflection on what it means to nurture ‘diversity of cultural expressions’. It should also deepen understanding of the different ways in which artistic work, which represents and extends cultural diversity, can benefit society at large.
This is the aim of this report.
The Australia Council already has a rich history of strategic engagement with the promotion and protection of cultural diversity in the arts. Previous Australia Council policies such as
Arts in a Multicultural Australia and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts policy speak to such strategies, which are concerned with making participation in the arts more inclusive of all Australians, irrespective
of background or personal circumstances. Since 2007 the Council has adopted an overarching Cultural Engagement Framework with the aim of ensuring ‘that the artistic and
cultural skills, experience and resources resulting from Australia’s social and demographic diversity are given the opportunity to develop flourish and contribute to a distinctly Australian style
of artistic excellence and innovation’. In its 2014-2019 strategic plan, the Council envisions Australia as a ‘culturally ambitious nation’ that draws strength from its diversity of identities, faiths, individual differences and pursuits.
Supporting a diverse range of artists is a central priority for the Council to better reflect and extend the diversity of cultural expressions
in Australia.
This report presents a range of innovative artistic and cultural projects, supported by the Australia Council, showcasing the wide variety of initiatives which contribute to the dynamism and vibrancy of Australia’s diversity of cultural expressions.
These case studies can function as models for a discussion about the development of
‘best practice’ in the promotion and protection of diversity of cultural expressions, not just
in Australia but internationally.
In this way, the report aims to improve dialogue around, interest in and ultimately increased uptake of the Convention, not just in Australia, and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The case studies discussed are:
DIVERSITY OF CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS
The Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA)
is an organisation which supports Aboriginal Art Centres across these regions, ‘working together to keep art, country and culture strong’.
The Arab Film Festival Australia (AFF), initiated by Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) in Parramatta, New South Wales, shares the stories and culture of the Arab world with diverse Australian audiences through film.
black&write! is a program based at the State Library of Queensland combining a national Indigenous writing fellowship with a mentoring program for Indigenous editors.
Edge of Elsewhere was a three-year contemporary visual art project of the Campbelltown Arts Centre and the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, commissioning artists from Australia, Asia and the Pacific
to create new works that engage with the diverse communities of Sydney.
Kultour, an initiative of the Australia Council’s Arts in a Multicultural Australia program,
is dedicated to touring innovative multicultural arts across all art forms. It aims to play a leadership role as national advocate, service organisation and in artist development.
Metaverse Makeovers, developed as a participatory artwork in which nail technicians and their clientele take part in a digitally augmented nail treatment triggered by a mobile device, has become a technology start-up company for digital cosmetics ‘appcessories’
in Asia.
TransLab was an initiative of the Australia Council’s Theatre section which supported the development of new intercultural and
interdisciplinary performance through research and development residencies.
Visible is a music mentoring and support program developed by Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV), catering to musicians from new refugee, immigrant and Indigenous Australian communities.
This report describes each of these projects
in detail, with a focus on the intricate artistic and organisational processes involved. Each project is singular, utilises cultural resources and artistic processes in unique ways. But across them
we can distinguish three distinct approaches to promoting diversity of cultural expressions,
revealing their different priorities and rationales:
a)The key aim in community-based approaches (Visible, Arab Film Festival) is to support minority groups, under-represented in the arts, to participate in cultural life. This can be either as artists (e.g. musicians) or audiences (e.g. film festival attendees). The focus here is on enhancing culturaldemocracy.
b)In artist-mediated approaches (Edge of Elsewhere, Metaverse Makeovers, Translab) the emphasis is on the creativity of the artist in the generation of innovative work to extend the diversity of cultural expression. The focus here is on fostering culturalinnovation.
c)In industry-based approaches (ANKAAA, Kultour, black & write!) the initiative centres on organisational development to enhance the promotion of diversity of cultural expressions through advocacy, networking and capacity building. The focus here is on ascertaining culturalsustainability.
A CASE STUDY REPORT
The three approaches are of course not mutually exclusive: they often overlap as particular projects encompass a range of community, artistic and industry-focused
activities. Cultural democracy, cultural innovation and cultural sustainability are three distinct yet inter-related objectives whose pursuit is greatly advanced in an environment which is committed to cultural diversity, as exemplified by the case studies in this report. On the basis of these case studies, we can distil five principles in relation to the practical possibilities of promoting diversity of cultural expressions through artistic practices of many kinds. We present these five principles here as a contribution to critical discourse
in this field.
The five principles are:
1.Truly relevant and energetic creative work will come from working across cultures.
2.Building cultural capabilities is best served by developing strong cross-cultural partnerships.
3.Locating arts practices within ‘culture cycles’ will facilitate a broader understanding of the diverse forms of ‘value’ generated by cultural expressions.
4.Inclusive and dialogical curatorial processes are a key means of enhancing diversity of cultural expressions.
5.Supporting diversity of cultural expression will enhance art’s ability to resonate and make a difference.
DIVERSITY OF CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS
TRULY RELEVANT AND ENERGETIC CREATIVE WORK WILL COME FROM WORKING ACROSS CULTURES.
The presence of many social and cultural groups benefits the broad cultural experience of living in a diverse society. Beyond the recognition and
‘showcasing’ of the art and culture of many ethnic and national groups, creative activity can utilize the dynamic and unpredictable interactions that characterize any ‘normal situation’ of cultural diversity. This involves moving beyond a narrow ‘multicultural arts’ perspective that frames distinct minority groups as set apart from a cultural ‘mainstream’, and recognising cultural diversity as an inescapable interactive context
to which artists and cultural workers respond in their working processes. The ‘multicultural’ cannot be siphoned off as a separate reality. It is deeply embedded within, and intrinsic to, the entire society.
This broadening of perspective is reflected in significant shifts in thinking and practice around the arts and cultural diversity in Australia. Kultour was founded in 2001 to support multicultural artists and organisations in touring exhibitions and performing arts nationally. Experience with the development of a nation-wide network of arts organisations supporting diverse cultural work, has led Kultour to shift its focus gradually from supporting specific cultural groups and a ‘minority’ multicultural sector to locating diversity in the society as a whole. Kultour now ‘supports intercultural and cross-cultural arts projects.
These reflect multicultural Australia and provide a national voice to advocate for the importance of cultural diversity in the experience of and participation in the arts for the benefit of the broadercommunity.’1
From this wider perspective, a diversity of cultural expressions is intrinsic to social
experience in all contemporary societies.Cultural difference is not something ‘out there’, outside
of us, but part of who we are, irrespective of our cultural or ancestral background. Artistic work can express this intrinsic diversity by mobilising the unpredictable interfaces of intercultural exchange, which can be found everywhere.
The cultural programs examined in this report largely take this broad and pervasive situation
of diversity as their starting point. As an invitation for organisations to participate in Translab put
it: ‘Cross-cultural theatre work explores our relationship to the diverse cultures weinhabit’.2
Such ‘inhabiting’ and working with new creative forms often develops at some distance from established cultural institutions. Relevant and dynamic intercultural creative work requires resources and support to move across existing boundaries of cultural influence and artistic form.
Translab recognised the importance of a ‘research and development’ phase to support the particular requirements of cross-cultural performance. In a context of a general lack
of resources and continuity of practice for intercultural theatre work, no one recipe for generating intercultural theatre existed. Working processes and ways of developing creative networks varied widely within Translab projects. Translab resident, Paschal Berry’s company developed Within and Without bypursuing
an established collaborative relationship with Manila-based artists, Anino Shadowplay
Collective. Theatre Kantanka (Missing the Bus to David Jones) and Branch Nebula (Sweat) used intercultural performance engaging artists of diverse backgrounds as a means to examine broad social issues of aging and migrantlabour.3
A CASE STUDY REPORT
The desire to move beyond multiculturalism as ethnic showcasing is apparent in the work of Samoan-Japanese artist Kihara Shigayuki.
She expressed her disappointment with the static nature of many multicultural events, where there is often very limited actual exchange. Kihara is more concerned with ‘intra-relationships between people’; the kinds of interaction between migrant groups based on what they actually share.
Kihara’s Talanoa V, one of three contributions to Edge of Elsewhere, emulated talanoa meetings in Samoa. Talanoa -- literally ‘big talk’
-- is utilised as a formal model to bring groups together and create sometimes unlikely sounding collaborations employing music and dance, in this case between Chinese and Cook Islands dancers. Community leaders were brought together to discuss ideas for the collaboration, and a work
of cultural exchange was developed using the (mainly) wordless embodied languages of music and dance. Specific socio-cultural and political processes were used as a formal framework
to negotiate cultural exchanges that seek to avoid exoticising or trivialisation.
Projects seeking to support creative practice that enhances diversity in innovative ways must engage in a detailed and ongoing examination of artistic processes and collaborations. Too often limits are placed on ‘diversity’ in cultural representation, which is easily stereotyped as ethnic difference, or dumbed down to exclude more complex dynamics. Artistic processes and
forms tend to involve a wider range of differences than the single dimension of ethnicity, coalescing around the intersections of age, gender, class, sexualities, dis/ability, religion, cultural styles
and personal experiences. The challenge is to engage in a broader conversation about ‘differing diversities’ in creativepractice.4
DIVERSITY OF CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS
BUILDING CULTURAL CAPABILITIES IS BEST
SERVED BY DEVELOPING STRONG CROSS-CULTURAL PARTNERSHIPS.
We might imagine intercultural artistic engagements naturally taking place as cultural ‘flows’, as easy or even inevitable confluences of globalization. Of course, sustaining such engagements is rarely easy. Effective support of the diversity of cultural expressions requires
the active promotion of relevant cultural skills and capabilities to enable practices located outside dominant (‘mainstream’) cultural fields to be viably maintained within national cultural life.
Building cultural capabilities requires a thorough analysis of developmental processes in relation to particular cultural industries, fields, markets and audiences. Developing necessary skills often entails bringing about highly focused learning situations. This is an important feature of
many of the projects described in this report. In the Translab model, cultural research and development was supported by designing
dedicated residencies to enable experimentation with unfamiliar processes to develop new productions.
The Visible program of Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV), addresses several barriers to cultural participation such as the lack of resources, industry knowledge, creative networks, and audience development. Building cultural capabilities required more than accumulating artistic and business skills; it included ways of developing cultural and community confidence. The Visible is integrated into MAV’s Emerge cultural network which provides broad support for artistic as well as social needs of artists from emerging cultural communities. Visible programs are flexible enough to support musicians aiming to develop careers in the music industry, as well as helping recently settled community groups to use music for cultural maintenance. For example, the Burundian community were supported in making drums and passing on drumming traditions to youngpeople.5